Electrical connector socket



Jan. 10, 1950 J. M. FETHEROLF ETAL 2,493,756

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR SOCKET Filed Sept. 15', 1945 E mi 22 5 INVEN'T'QRs \JHMES M. FE HEROLF GER/4RD E. FORREST Patented Jan. 10, 1950 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR SOCKET James M. Fetherolf, White Plains, Gerard E. Forrest, Beechhurst, N. Y.,

and Francis W. See, Bronx, assignors to The Sperry Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application September 13, 1945, Serial No. 516,102

8 Claims. (01. 174 -1s) The present invention relates to electrical connector devices, and particularly to sockets for receiving electron discharge devices or multiple circuit electrical connectors.

Where very high voltages are involved in radio and electronic apparatus, it is often necessary to provide high voltage insulation between electrical condifctors, and particularly to provide very high voltage insulation between a grounded metal chassis, used for supporting the circuit components and the terminals and wiring associated with the components. A compact arrangement of the circuit components and of the conducting wires may be insulated for operation at very high voltage and for use in rarefied atmospheres by the provision of an oil-filled chassis, wherein all wired and exposed conductive elements are immersed in the insulating oil. Alternatively, the chassis may be filled by a dry gas maintained at a high pressure. Ordinary multicircuit electrical connector sockets, such as sockets commercially available for electron discharge tubes, are not suitable for use in oil-filled or pressurized gas-filled chassis applications. The present invention is concerned with the provision of a socket suited for such an arrangement.

An object of the present invention is to provide an easily manufactured, inexpensive and compact connector socket or device capable of withstanding very high voltages and suited for providing a fluid-tight seal.

The invention in another of its aspects relates to novel features of the instrumentalities de-.

scribed herein. for achieving the principal object of the invention and to novel principles employed in those instrumentalities, whether or not these features and principles are used for the said principal object or in the said field.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus and instrumentalities embodying novel features and principles, adapted for use in realizing the above objects and also adapted for use in other fields.

In accordance with the present invention, a vitreous cup, e. g. a glass cup, is provided with a plurality of connector elements or contact members which may be arranged to receive cooperating contact elements such as the metal prongs of an electron discharge tube. These contact members may be hermetically sealed into the bottom of the vitreous cup, and may be arranged so that their contact pin receiving ends are recessed well within the vitreous cup.

A metallic band surroundingthe vitreous cup is plastically bonded thereto and is adapted to be bonded to an opening in a metal supporting member or wall,-e. g. a circular opening through a. metal chassis. The contact members are so positioned within the cup, and the metallic mounting band is so arranged externally of the cup, that the paths of electric voltage strain along the surfaces of the vitreous cup are made very long, the path in air from the pin receivingends of the contact members along the inside wall of the cup, over the top of the cup, and down the outer wall of the cup to the mounting band being made particularly long.

An embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a socket constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the socket; and

Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section, showing a socket in accordance with the present invention incorporated within an oil-filled chassis assembly and supporting an electron discharge tube.

Like reference characters are used throughout the figures to designate corresponding parts thereof.

Referring now to Fig. 1, there is shown a socket H constructed in accordance with the present invention and includinga vitreous cup I! surrounded by a metallic mounting band l3. Within the vitreous cup there is a connector subassembly including a plurality of metallic contact members It arranged substantially parallel to the axis of the cup l2 and fixedly spaced at their upper ends by an insulating web IS. The contact members I4 extend through the bottom of the vitreous cup I 2 and are hermetically sealed thereto. At their lower ends, the contact members H are arranged to receive the ends of conductor wires; while at their upper ends, the contact members H are arranged to receive the metal prongs of an electron discharge tube, orof a connector device arranged according to thebase plan of an electron discharge tube.

The vitreous cup I2 preferably is of a hard glass material, such as Pyrex or Tronex, capable of withstanding rapid temperature changes and also capable of withstanding severe mechanical shocks.

The mounting band 13 is formedon the outer surface of the cup l2 by the "Metaplast process, which involves etching and metallizing the surface of the cup I! to which the metal band I! is to be bonded, electroplating the etched sur- 3 face with a metal such as silver, and coating the silver band with tin by hot tin dipping or tin plating the band I3. The tinned mounting band l3 formed on the surface of cup I2 inthe manner described above is hermetically sealed to the surface of the cup l2, so that when the outer surface of the band I3 is soldered into a suitable opening in a metal wall or chassis, no escape of fluid will be permitted between the cup l2 and the wall in which it is mounted.

The cup I2 preferably is molded in such a way that a key-pin guiding groove I6 is formed along its inner surface, and a plurality of substantially cylindrical openings through the bottom of the cup are provided for receiving the contact members I4. Preferably, also, a boss is formed on the outer surface of the cup I2 at the bottom of each of these cylindrical openings. The bottoms of the bosses are flattened by grinding, and the substantially radial surfaces thus formed are subjected to the Metaplast" process, so that a tinned radial surface is provided at the bottom of each of these bosses. Each of the contact members includes a rod-like lower portion I1 for installation within an opening through the bottom of the cup I2. The rod-like lower portion I1 of the contact members It may be slotted as at I8 to facilitate the connection of the circuit wires thereto.

The outer surfaces of the rod-like extensions I1 of contact members H are tinned. Tinned metal washers l9, having an inner diameter matched to the outer diameter of the contact member extensions I1 and having an outer diameter determined by the diameter of the ground radial surfaces of the bosses on the bottom of cup I2, are provided for cooperation with the contact members and with the plated lower surfaces of the bosses. When the contact members and washers are assembled as illustrated in Fig. 2, the washers I9, the contact member extensions I1, and the metal radial surfaces bonded onto the bosses are united by a solder bond, providing mechanical rigidity of the assembly and hermetically sealing the bottom of the cup I2.

The contact members It may be provided at their upper ends with spring clips 2I, 22, or they may be arranged in any other desired manner for receiving the cooperating pins of an electron discharge tube. If preferred, the contact members I4 could be made tubular at their upper ends, and could be longitudinally slotted so that the pins of an electron discharge tube could nest coaxially within the upper ends of the contact members ll.

It has been found desirable to provide an insulating web I which may be die-punched or formed by jig-drilling to receive the upper ends of contact members I4 and to support these members in such a way that assembly in the bottom of the cup I2 is facilitated. A subassembly comprising the web I5 and the contact members It is made up by riveting the upper ends of the contact members I4 into the web l5 as at 23, and the subassembly including the web and the contact members may then be lowered into place in the cup I2. The assembly of the socket II is thereafter completed by soldering the washers I9 to the rod-like extensions ll of contact members It and upper ends for contact with the tube base connector pins, further holes are drilled through the web I5 in a plan conforming to the spacing members It during assembly,

. 4 plan of the tube base connector pins. If desired, the upper surface of the web I5 may be grooved as illustrated at 24 (Fig. 1) to facilitate the location of the tube-base pins, or the upper ends of the pin-receiving holes 20 through the web may be chamfered for this purpose.

The contact members i4 may be provided with radial bosses 25 to facilitate the location of the and to lend further mechanical rigidity to the assembled structure.

The socket II is illustrated in Fig. 3 installed in an opening in a. metal wall 26, such as the upper wall of a chassis. This wall 26, as illustrated, has been dimplecr' or deformed by suitable dies in such a manner as to provide a substantially cylindrical inner surface for receiving the metallic mounting band l3 of the socket II. The inner surface of the dimpled opening is tinned and is soldered to the band I3, to complete the hermetic seal and to provide a strong mechanical support for the socket II. If preferred, a flanged mounting ring may be employed upon the surface of the chassis for the junction with the mounting band I3, so that no deformation of the chassis wall is required. The chassis in which the socket I I is mounted is filled with oil 21, which serves not only for increasing the breakdown voltage capacity of the circuits associated with the socket II, but also for receiving the heat transmitted through the contact members M from the cooperating contact pins of an electron discharge tube.

If desired, a rubber cap 28 or an elastic gasket may be provided for deterring moist atmosphere from reducing the breakdown voltage capacity be-. tween contact members within the vitreous cup I2 Because of the oil immersion of the external part of the socket II extending beneath the wall 26, the voltage required for a flash-over in oil between the socket terminals and the chassis or wall 26 is made so great that a voltage breakdown over this path is extremely unlikely. Accordingly, barring a voltage breakdown through the cylindrical wall of the vitreous cup I2, the path over which a voltage breakdown normally would occur is along the outer surface of the cup I2 from the upper edge of the band I3, over the top of the cup, and down its inner surface to the upper ends of the contact members I4. This path may be relatively long and, if desired, corrugations or barriers may be formed on the surface of the cup I2 to further increase the voltage which the socket II is capable of withstanding. If desired, furthermore, a plurality of metallic bands obviously may be formed around the inner or outer surfaces of the cup I2 for producing any desired po tential distribution.

By virtue of the novel construction of the socket in accordance with the present invention, compactness and economy of manufacture are achieved, and high voltage protection is provided in a leak-proof socket of a type affording rapid heat transfer into the heat-receiving and insulating immersion oil.

Where glass or other transparent material is used for the vitreous cup I2,'moreover, the innermost parts of the socket are subject to visual inspection, so that any defects thereof may be noted without resorting to special testing apparatus.

Since many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made 1; without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A recessed electrical connector socket for installation in an opening through a metal wall and for providing a fluid-tight boundary at said metal wall, comprising a vitreous cup, a metallic band bonded to the outer surface of said cup and providing a metallic outer surface to be plastically bonded to said metal wall both for mechanically supporting said cup and for preventing fluid flow between said wall and the outer surface of said cup, and at least one electric contact member passing through said cup and sealed into said cup, one end of said contact member being within said cup and being adapted to provide pressure engagement with a cooperating contact element, and the other end of said contact member being external of said cup and being adapted to be permanently connected to an electric circuit.

2. A recessed electrical connector socket for installation in an opening through a metal supporting member and for providing a fluid-tight boundary at said metal supporting member, comprising a glass cup, a metal band electroplated upon the outer surface of said cup and providing a metallic outer surface to be soldered to said supporting member both for mechanically supporting said cup and for preventing fluid flow between said supporting member and the outer surface of said cup, and at least one electric contact member passing through the bottom of said cup and sealed into said cup, one end of said contact member being adapted to engage a cooperating contact element and the other end of said contact member being adapted to be permanently connected to an electric circuit.

3. An electrical connector socket for installation in an opening through a metal supporting member and for providing a fluid-tight boundary at said metallic supporting member, comprising a vitreous body, a metallic band bonded to the outer surface of'said vitreous body and providing a metallic outer surface adapted to be soldered to said metal supporting member both for mechanically supporting said body and for preventing fluid flow between said supporting member and the outer surface of said body, and a plurality of electric contact members passing through said body and sealed into said body, one end of each of said contact members being adapted to provide pressure engagement with a cooperating contact element of a plug-in device, and the other end of each of said contact members being adapted to be permanently connected to an electric circuit.

4. An electrical connector socket for installation in an opening through a metal supporting member and for providing a fluid-tight boundary at said supporting member, comprising a vitreous body, a metallic band bonded to the outer surface of said body and providing a metallic outer surface adapted to be soldered to said supporting member both for mechanically supporting said body and for preventing fluid flow between said supporting member and the outer surface of said body, a plurality of electric contact members passing through said body and sealed into said body, one end of each of said contact members being adapted to engage a cooperating contact element of a multiple contact element electric device and the other end of each of said contact members being adapted to be permanently connected to an electric circuit, and an insulating web mechanically interconnecting the contact-element engaging ends of said contact members for providing mechanical reinforcement and alignment thereof.

5. An electron tube socket for installation in an opening through a metal supporting member, providing a fluid-tight boundary at said supporting member and affording electron tube cooling by heat conduction through metal terminal members to a heat-receiving dielectric fluid, comprising a vitreous cup having an inside depth comparable with the depth of an electron tube base, a metallic band bonded to the outer surface of said cup and providing a metallic outer surface to be bonded to said supporting member both for mechanically supporting said cup and for preventing fluid flow between said supporting member and the outer surface of said cup, a plurality of electric contact members passing through said cup and sealed into fluid-tight contact with the surface thereof, each of said contact members having one end within said cup arranged for engaging a contact prong of an electron tube base, and the opposite end of each of said contact members being arranged externally of said cup to be permanently connected to an electric circuit and to be immersed in a heat-receiving dielectric fluid.

6. An electron tube socket comprising a vitreous cup having an inside depth comparable with the depth of an electron tube base, a plurality of electric contact members passing through the bottom of said cup and hermetically sealed thereto, each of said contact members having one end within said cup arranged for receiving a contact prong of an electron tube base, and the opposite end of each of said contact members being arranged externally of said cup to be permanently connected to an electric circuit and to be immersed in a heat-receiving and electric voltage breakdown preventing dielectric fluid.

'7. An electron tube socket comprising a vitreous cup, a plurality of electric contact members passing through a wall of said cup and hermetically sealed thereto, each of said contact members having one end within said cup arranged for receiving a contact prong of an electron tube base, the opposite end of each of said contact members being arranged externally of said cup to be permanently connected to an electric circuit and to be immersed in a heat-receiving and voltage breakdown preventing dielectric fluid, and an insulating web within said cup mechanically interconnecting the contact-prong engaging ends of said contact members for providing mechanical reinforcement and alignment thereof.

8. An electron tube socket for installation in an opening through a metal supporting member, providing a fluid-tight boundary at said supporting member and affording electron tube cooling by heat conduction through metal terminals to a cooling dielectric immersion fluid, comprising a vitreous cup for receiving the base of an electron tube, a metallic band bonded to the outer surface of said cup and providing a metallic outer surface to be bonded to said supporting member both for mechanically supporting said cup and for preventing fluid flow between said supporting member and the outer surface of said cup, a plurality of electric contact members passing through the bottom of said cup and hermetically sealed thereto, each of said contact members having one end within said cup arranged for en- 7 8 gagin': a contact prone or an electron tube base and the opposite end external oi said cup ar- REFERENCES mm ranged to be connected to an electric circuit and The following e erences are of record in the to be immersed in dielectric fluid, and an inflle of this Went: sulating web within said cup mechanically in- 5 UNITED terconnecting the ends of said contact members STATES PATENTS for providing mechanical reinforcements and Number Nam W alignment thereof. 1.231.917 Eby Oct. 15, 1918 1,685,767 Phifler Sept. 25, 1928 JAMES FE'rI-IEROLF 10 5 Best Mar. 18, 1934 GERARD FORREST. 9 Vatter Nov. 15, 1238 FRANCIS SEE 2,398,871 Meyerhans Mar. 19, 194B 

